A million miles an hour

Oh Natty, I don't have that many green clothes.  Does khaki count as green?  I would love to help keep you warm, though.  I seem to have an excessive amount of body heat, which is quite annoying in the tropics.  But the weather now is nice and cool.  Have you been trying to slow down as I asked you to?  I've been getting reports that you have been going around town at a million miles an hour.  Yes I know it's December, and I know you're having fun, and I know I told you to have fun but now I'm telling you to relax and calm yourself.  NYC isn't the best place for a slow pace, but you must take care of your heart.  Try to focus on getting back to a quiet place so you can slow your heart down, and please do that everyday.  If you get heart disease, I'm going to be very unhappy.  How's your tummy?  Are you eating mild and simple foods?  Tofu is great for the tummy, try eating tofu with chicken.  I buy a lot of tofu.  I just got back from the supermarket, and got a lot groceries.  It's time for chili again, and cheeseburgers.  My gherkins are ready!  I forgot to put sugar, but they're still a success.

Local cuisine

Hi Natty!  How are you today?  I hope you are keeping calm and collected.  Please make a serious effort to relax and take care of your heart.  All this power may be very exciting but really, we are all only human.  Yeah, I'm blogging earlier than usual today because I have to be at the mosque by sunset.  How's your tummy?  I had an early dinner today.  I tried to do a little bit of yard work, but everything was so time consuming so I just gave up and heated up my mother's leftover curry.  I fried up some flat noodles with chicken for lunch today.  Fried flat noodles is a local cuisine, usually one would find it with made with cockles around here.  Below is a stock photo from Google of "keow teow kerang".

I like the stuff.  I know how to make it, and I grew up eating it.  But people from other nations may not find it as visually enticing, nor may they like it even after trying it, even though there's really nothing to acquire about the taste.  Some people are just used to eating what they are used to eating and that's all they want to eat, even though they are on a vacation to an exotic country.  So what do the locals do to get them to desire local food?  If they can't be creative then there's nothing they can do. It's the same as opening a restaurant anywhere: if nobody knows you and you're not serving something awesome, then don't expect people to eat your food.

Hello there, my beautiful Natty

How are you?  I do so hope that you are being calm and patient.  I'm sure things seem very exciting, but please try not to get nervous, because you need to look after your precious heart beginning at a young age.  And your precious tummy.  So meditate!  You know.  Relax!  Read a book.  And don't forget to pray.  Don't worry, my beloved.  Everything will work out nicely for us inshaAllah.

I had a busy day today.  I went to pay bills after doing the morning chores, then got back in time to cook my lunch and nap before Mary Unknown7's daily session.  In the evening, I began to take apart the dead old amra tree by my front gate.  It's a big tree and I was scared, so I used a lot of rope to help control the fall of each heavy limb.  Today went without any bad incident, so alhamdulillah.  For dinner, I bought some sweet pancakes at the night market to go with my sauerkraut dogs.  I'm afraid my kraut dogs were a failure: the bamboo shoots sauerkraut I made wasn't sour enough, and I could still taste the bitterness of the bamboo shoots.  Plus the buns I used were too soft for kraut dogs.  Maybe I should just go back to using cabbage for sauerkraut.  But my gherkins are almost ready.  It looks like cheeseburgers are on the menu in the near future, and maybe I'll try making sweet relish.

Hm...

I recognize the lips, but I don't recognize the hair.  Cool shades, though.  And so many pretty flowers, including you.  What's the occasion?  Seems cold over there.  I wish I were there with you to warm you up.

It's nice and cool here right now.  It's been a busy morning, but I just had a nice nap, the weather is so comfortable right now.  Alhamdulillah.  It's almost time for Mary Unknown7's session, so I have to get ready.  I love you!

Sunday is black!  Oh dear, that is a short dress...  maybe I should have had her put on some shorts...

Every ingredient

Hi Natty!  What's going on today?  I hope you are taking things nice and easy, or even nice and slow.  I want you to know that I love you very much and I think of you always.  And I want you not to worry, because everything is going to work out just great for us inshaAllah.

It's not always possible to take it nice and slow, but this evening I had a chance to do so.  Well, with dinner at least.  I had my usual bunch of errands to do throughout the day, but I took my time with making dinner.  It's fried noodles again!  I took my time and made sure every element of the fried noodles tasted good.  From the sauce, the crispy shrimp, the boiled chicken marinated in turmeric, how bloated the noodles got after cooking in the sauce, and how many eggs I used to thicken it up.  I made sure the noodles tasted good by itself without the added meats and veggies.  Well, mostly because I had to pause cooking for the sunset prayer.  Then after that, I was free to mix it all up and eat.  I am pleased to say that tonight's dinner was a success.  Making sure every ingredient and step was just right made the whole thing just right.  Taking it nice and slow.  A true luxury.  Alhamdulillah.